In order to show you the features of a good argumentative essay

  writing,  I collected some samples of argumentative essay writing in TWE

  of TOEFL that represents the range of  six different scores. Look at the

  sample essay question as follows:
 

Sample Essay Question  In some cultures, marriages are arranged by parents. In other cultures, a person's  company helps the employee to find a future husband or wife. State whether you  believe arranged marriages are better than non-arranged marriages. Support your  position with examples.

 
  Key Words: Arranged marriages vs. non-arranged marriages, Position,
                     Examples.

  Hint: Do not favor both positions (arranged marriages and non-arranged
            marriages). Unlike Chinese writing, favoring both positions is not
            permitted in English writing.

  Idea: What you should do is take a position (arranged marriages or non-
            arranged marriages), begin to support your position with examples,
            and restate your position.
 

   Now let's look at the following sample student essays as a reference set:
 

Sample Student Essay 1: Test Score 1       Different country have different arranged marriages. In my country, many old  people when they are married date, they are first time to see each other. But  Nowaday, they are change in arrange marriages, they don't need follow the old  tradition, they can arranged by themself.       I think Nowaday people, they are very lucky to choice in arranged marriage.

 
 

Sample Student Essay 2: Test Score 2       In some cultures, marriages are arranged by parents. In other cultures, a person's  company helps the employee to find a future husband or wife. I'll try to describe that  process for my country.       In America many years ago was been one bad habit. That the parents making  marriage contracts even bride and groom doesn't see together until they marriage day.  And every time marriages like these had bad, painful finish.

 
 

Sample Student Essay 3: Test Score 3       Arranged marriages are popular in Asia world from ancient time. I agree with it,  but not in all way like the couple shouldn't meet each other before the ceremony.  In fact I agree with it in modern way, they should meet each other before marriage  they should find out so many similarities between them and then get married. When  the parents or friends trying to arranged a married, they wants to create a good future  life for their children and their goal is to help their children and as a result of this fact  they are going to choose a good partner for their child. After a wille when coaple living  together they start to solve their problems and get to work together and become more  respect to each other.       In conclusion, deciding to get married is a big aspect in our live and we should  consider so many factor before marriage.

 
 

Sample Student Essay 4: Test Score 4       In some cultures parents choose grooms for their grown-up daughters. For example,  in America marriages should be arranged by the parents of the marrying couple. They  had to decide (especially fathers) who their daughters will marry. Today the traditions  have changed a lot but still parents are playing a big role in arranged marriages. Although  the parents think that arranged marriages by parents always end up with a happy and  united family, I think that non-arranged marriages are better and here are some examples:       Centuries ago in America father of the bride was the one who had to choose a husband  for his daughter. The bride could not see her husband untill the day of the wedding. And  the major problem was that the husband was 25-30 years old and the wife was only fifteen  or seventeen. Nowadays the old tradition is not useful but still the parents should arrange  the marriage because they think they are older, they've seen more in their life and have  more experience. These parents think that they are arranging a good life for their children,  but the life has shown that most of the arranged families end up with divorce.

 
 

Sample Student Essay 5: Test Score 5       According to Webster's Dictionary, the word "marriage" is defined as "the legal union  of two people in wedlock."  Yet, there is no specific description about the formation of  this matrimony, consequently this alliance can be arranged by lovers themselves or others.  In Chinese society, our ancestors believed in the significance of arranging marriage, for  they consider the social rank, background, and "destiny match," which implies that if two  people's destiny (fate) cannot match them then harmony and wealth will vanish. Thus,  arranged marriages seemed reasonable and necessary; however, there were many  tragedies with this custom since nuptials dominate two distinct souls and minds, without  any mutual understanding, it is hard to build any reciprocal interaction. Therefore, I  personally disagree arranged marriages.       On the other hand, there are companies in certain countries that arrange marriages  for their employees. It seems that most employees require such help. An "arranged  marriage" is the euphemism, the truth is dominated association. How can we decide  another individual's espousal life?  It's dubious whether an arranged marriage is the  perfect solution for celibacy; moreover, how can we understand another individual's  needs?  This legal union relationship should last eternally and happily, so the two  mutual adults should have rights to make their own decision.  In colonial days,  American colonist married the Indian girl through arrangement, for two ethnical  groups negotiated the peace conference. Yet, white treated the Indian girl as an  object -- show her as unique animal who has different facial features and  colors in public. It's a cruel fact, not only the girl suffered, the white man also felt  unhappy. There were a lot of similar stories that happened in each dynasty in Chinese  history. Eventually, the two individuals sacrificed their love under the arranged  marriage system. Who should be responsible?       It's another new revolution time, there are various systems emerge in our society.  That does not mean we have to alter everything, yet we can revise. Arranged  marriage is not a perfect system, we can see the tragedies that occured before  obviously. Why should we force others into this wedlock?

 
 

Sample Student Essay 6: Test Score 6         In old Chinese societies, marriages were arranged by parents and a "red-lady"  (go-between).   The arrangement was based on wealth, profession and the birthdate.  Both the bride and the bridegroom would not see each other until the wedding day  but then had to spend their whole lives together without regret or divorce. Most of us  believe that it would be a tragedy for two strangers to get married without love or  even knowing each other.  However, in today's world where free marriage is popular  and is the norm, it can be seen that these marriages often lead to conflict and are even  sometimes much worse than the marriages of the past.       Some people are misled into believing that non-arranged marriages could have  harmony and would last. On the contrary, there is a much higher divorce rate compared  to the past. Although we could deny this because we could not get divorced as easily in  the past as nowadays, it is believed that arranged marriages are better.  Marriage is a  unit function of  men and women in a society. Not only do the two persons concerned  get involved, but also the families of both couples.       From the social and economic point of view, arranged marriages are better for  society. For example, if the families of both couples are in the same kind of business,  they will have the same interest that will help to unify the marriage. They will be discussing  the same topic together and even produce more creative ideas, instead of having two  totally different families in style, class and wealth trying to get along with each other. Not  being of the same class might lead to daily misunderstanding and future quarrels. It might  also lead to different points of view threatening the state of harmony. Having marriages  arranged by experienced parents could minimize this problem.

 
  (These are actual students responses and so errors are those of the students.)
 

  (Taken from Broukal, Milada & Flynn, Kathleen. (1994). The Heinle & Heinle TOEFL

   Test Assistant: Test of Written English (TWE). Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle

   Publishers.)